Award Categories
This year’s awards celebrate excellence across storytelling, craft, production, and reader impact. Browse all submission categories below.
Author Submission Categories
Authors may submit eligible works across the following genre, craft, and production categories.
Age & Audience
Fiction written for teen readers featuring coming-of-age journeys, identity exploration, and emotional growth.
Illustrated or prose stories written for early and middle-grade readers.
Fiction centered on young adults navigating independence, identity, relationships, and the transition into adulthood.
General Fiction
Modern stories grounded in real-world settings and human experiences.
Narratives set in past eras with immersive period detail.
Stories focused on a character’s emotional or psychological growth into maturity.
Romance
Lighthearted romance driven by humor, charm, and emotional payoff.
Modern love stories grounded in present-day settings and realistic dynamics.
Romance with explicit intimacy and strong on-page heat.
Romantic stories exploring morally complex relationships and darker themes.
Romance featuring supernatural beings or otherworldly elements.
Love stories blended with horror tension, fear, or dread.
Fantasy & Speculative
Stories set in imagined worlds shaped by magic and myth.
Large-scale fantasy with expansive worldbuilding and high stakes.
Supernatural stories set within modern or urban environments.
Fantasy with grim tone, horror elements, or moral ambiguity.
Atmospheric fantasy rooted in gothic settings and haunting imagery.
Fantasy where romance is a central narrative driver.
Science Fiction
Fiction exploring futuristic science, technology, or space.
Stories set in collapsed societies or catastrophe-shaped worlds.
Thriller/Mystery
Mind-driven tension stories focused on perception and emotional stakes.
Fast-paced narratives centered on crime, investigation, and danger.
Lighter mysteries with minimal graphic content and community focus.
Horror
Fiction intended to frighten, unsettle, or disturb.
Horror driven by ghosts, demons, curses, or paranormal forces.
Extreme horror emphasizing graphic violence and shock.
Format-Based Fiction
Collections showcasing poetic voice, rhythm, and expression.
Shorter fiction between a short story and full novel.
Curated volumes of multiple works by one or more authors.
Non-Fiction
Memoirs, autobiographies, and biographies that explore personal life experiences or the documented lives of others.
Works that examine real criminal cases through investigative storytelling, analysis, or lived experience.
Focused on personal growth, mental wellness, emotional healing, and life improvement
Representation & Inclusion
Stories centering LGBTQ+ identities, relationships, and lived experiences.
Stories centering Black voices, cultures, and perspectives.
Fiction highlighting Latin American heritage and narratives.
Stories rooted in Indigenous cultures and lived realities.
Works representing Asian and Pacific Islander identities.
Middle Eastern / North African Fiction
Stories reflecting MENA cultures and experiences.
Fiction portraying characters living with disabilities.
Stories featuring neurodivergent characters and perspectives.
Craft & Writing
Recognition for exceptional writing style and narrative voice.
Awarded for natural, compelling character dialogue.
Honors effective storytelling across multiple perspectives.
Celebrates creative and skillful use of tropes.
Recognizes originality and structure in fantasy magic design.
Production & Format
Awarded to an outstanding independently produced audiobook.
Honors excellence in vocal storytelling performance.
Recognizes editorial excellence in shaping a manuscript.
Celebrates outstanding visual cover artistry.
(AI generated covers not eligible)
New Author Recognition
Awarded to the strongest first-published indie novel.
Reader Submission Categories
Reader-nominated awards celebrating unforgettable characters, series, and community impact.
Character Awards
A complex character operating between hero and villain.
A character who left a lasting impact on readers.
An antagonist defined by presence, motive, or execution.
Reader Experience Awards
A book readers couldn’t put down.
A story readers return to repeatedly.
The most emotionally rewarding happily-ever-after.
An under-recognized indie book deserving more attention.
Series & Author Popularity
Honors a fully published indie series with strong impact.
Recognizes an author generating major reader buzz.
The top reader-voted indie book of the year.
Creator & Community Awards
Someone who actively uplifts the indie author space
A creator making major impact promoting indie books.
A rising voice championing indie authors and stories.